Patrick Willis, the 49ers linebacker with seven Pro Bowls on his rsum, was minding his own business last month in St. Louis against the Rams when his toe had a bad encounter with the artificial turf on the floor of said Edward Jones Dome. Willis hasn”t played since.

Tuesday, the team announced that his season was over. Willis is having surgery to correct what he told reporters was a longtime foot issue only exacerbated by the most recent injury.

Not good. Not good at all. Write your own headline: Dome Begats Doom. From Turf Toe To No-Go. Goodbye Patrick, Goodbye Playoffs. Whatever.

My headline is a bit more optimistic: Willis Missed But 49ers Not Dismissed.

Some of this relates to the progress of Chris Borland, the rookie who has replaced Willis. Borland is diminutive for a linebacker (listed at 5-foot-11, probably an inch shorter) but has been making impact tackles, from sideline to sideline. Borland reminds me a bit of Sam Mills, the 5-9 linebacker of the Saints and Panthers during the 1990s who didn”t let his size get in the way of making five Pro Bowls.

Borland is not Willis. Borland is still pretty good. The 49ers” linebacker situation is also being boosted this week with the return of Aldon Smith from his disciplinary suspension. Also, while the team is being cagey about NaVorro Bowman”s possible return from knee surgery, the tea leaves point to Bowman being back on the field by December.

But this is about more than the depth chart. After taking a look at the NFC West landscape — and the NFL terrain in general — I am prepared to say that the 49ers remain in better position to reach the postseason than anyone might think.

Instead of the 49ers, would you rather be the Arizona Cardinals?

Yes, they lead the NFC West at this point. Yes, their 8-1 record is two games ahead of second-place Seattle (6-3) and three games ahead of the 49ers. But Sunday, the Cardinals lost their starting quarterback, Carson Palmer, when his foot snagged the turf awkwardly — what”s the deal, anyway? — and Palmer”s knee was wrenched, his ACL torn.

Palmer”s backup, Drew Stanton, will take over the Arizona steering wheel. But how steadily? Stanton has bounced around the league since 2007. In games he”s played, his teams are 6-11. He has never sniffed the playoffs. On paper, the Cardinals also own the league”s toughest remaining schedule.

There”s a tough Detroit team on tap this Sunday, plus two remaining games against Seattle and the season closer at Levi”s Stadium against the 49ers. It doesn”t take much to imagine that game could be for a playoff spot.

Instead of the 49ers, would you rather be the Seattle Seahawks?

True, they are on a three-game winning streak. But the Seahawks have four away games remaining and they aren”t the same team away from their cacophonous home field. On the Sunday before the big Thanksgiving game showdown against the 49ers in Santa Clara, the Seahawks are playing Arizona while the 49ers are playing Washington.

More significantly, the Seahawks just lost their own key defensive contributor, nose tackle Brandon Mebane, for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury. The Seattle passing game has also been a matter of concern, with quarterback Russell Wilson not looking sharp and failing to throw a touchdown pass the past two weeks. There was also that whole curious business about the Percy Harvin trade and running back Marshawn Lynch”s dissatisfaction with the move.

Why, last Sunday, even the live bird mascot of the Seahawks became discombobulated and flew into the crowd to land on a random (and startled) fan”s head. The “bird” was forced to tweet out an apology afterward.

Would you rather be another NFC postseason contender such as Dallas or Philadelphia? Both own head-to-head losses to the 49ers in case of a playoff-spot tiebreaker.

None of this means the 49ers are a lock to be playing in January. There are still many miles to travel and many issues to address, especially with the inconsistent offense and the always-present Jim Harbaugh background noise. But being without Willis should be no excuse. That”s my point.

Consider. If the 49ers beat the Giants in New Jersey this weekend and follow it up with a victory over Washington and come into that Thanksgiving game with a 7-4 record and some momentum … well, anyone want to call them pretenders then?